Round 3: If It Wasn't For These Meddling Kids

Marco Orsini-Jones (Ad Nauseam) vs. Conley Woods (Bant)

"Is this were they'll show the Top 8?" asked famed deck designer Conley Woods, looking at the big auditorium the stage of which builds this weekend's feature match arena. He got the answer that this is indeed where the Top 8 games will take place, to which he replied: "OK, so I will be here."

He certainly was well on his way with a 2-0 start into the tournament, but so was his opponent, Marco Orsini-Jones. Orsini-Jones was running Ad Nauseam / Angel's Grace, while Woods came with a Bant deck of his very own.

Conley Woods loves his home brews; rumor has it he built his deck just last night.

Woods passed his next turn without an attack and without any play except for another land, signalling some form of counterMagic in his hand. The first two Lotuses bloomed, without Woods interfering. When Orsini-Jones failed to cast anything interesting, Woods just returned Orsini-Jones's Coalition Relic to his hand via Cryptic Command.

His attack put Orsini-Jones at 1, thanks to his Angel's Grace. Woods cast another Jace, the Mind Sculptor and this time it resolved. He checked the top card of Orsini-Jones library, left it in place, and Orsini-Jones quickly shuffled it up, when he saw what that was.

Woods 1, Marco Orsini-Jones 0

Game 2

Orsini-Jones was unhappy with his opening seven. He took quite some time to decide before finally keeping. Woods was quicker with his hand and almost instantly mulliganed his seven. His response to his six cards was equally quick—and emphatic: "Keep."

Orsini-Jones had no third land, but he did have a second Lotus Bloom which he suspended as well. Clearly, he meant to deal with the first Mage soon. Woods, however, summoned a second Meddling Mage and named Punishing Fire to protect his army from undue tampering. Then, he cast a third Meddling Mage, naming Ad Nauseam. Orsini-Jones made a sad face.